Several news stories have pointed out that much of CREW’s [Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington] funding comes from liberal groups and big donors to Democratic candidates and causes. And all but a handful of its complaints against Members of Congress have targeted Republicans. But in some cases, there appear to be deeper links between the agenda of the donor and CREW’s attacks. In February 2006, CREW asked the Senate Finance Committee to investigate the Center for Union Facts, an anti-union group, and its sister organization, the Center for Consumer Freedom, which CREW claimed are “front organizations for for-profit industry entities.” The complaint noted that the Center for Union Facts Web site had “negative information about unions,” including the Service Employees International Union. Later that year, CREW launched a Freedom of Information Act request, followed by a lawsuit, to get the Department of Labor to hand over documents regarding the department’s contacts with the founder of the two centers. On Sept. 1, 2006, CREW received $75,000 from the SEIU, according to documents that the union filed with the Department of Labor.
CREW has also received hundreds of thousands from ARCA, an organization which favors reopening trade with Cuba, and has filed ethics complaints against individuals and companies which favor the current policy. The Executive Director of ARCA has served on the board of CREW, and is now running for Congress as a Democrat. (CREW has attacked her opponent.) CREW has been supported by the Gill Foundation, which supports expanded rights for gays and lesbians, and filed an unfounded ethics complaint against Representative Marilyn Musgrave immediately before her 2004 election. Ms. Musgrave is the sponsor of the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would circumscribe gay marriage rights. CREW later filed complaints against Ms. Musgrave with the FEC; those complaints were subsequently dismissed. Of course, none of this proves that CREW is just a well-funded schill for Democratic politicians, but it sure looks that way.
